Head coach Yeng Guiao of Rain or Shine just can’t hide his excitement the last few days.
Last Saturday night in an out-of-town game, the Elasto Painters showed vast improvement in their game after scoring a 113-110 win over Magnolia in the Philippine Basketball Association Commissioner’s Cup in Cagayan de Oro.
The victory was made possible by two players who have been making a lot of heads turn: import Tree Treadwell and top rookie Keith Datu.
“Had he played some of the five games he missed, we could have won some of them,” said Guiao in a telephone conversation with DAILY TRIBUNE a few minutes after his arrival from Cagayan de Oro.
“We made a great choice in picking him as the No.4 overall pick in the draft,” Guiao said.
Against Magnolia, the rookie center finished with 14 points, six rebounds and a block.
Datu has produced solid numbers in all the three games he played with Rain or Shine, averaging close to 14 points on a steady 60 percent shooting from beyond the arc, the best three-point shooting percentage in the tournament.
He had also contributed 5.3 rebounds and two blocks per outing, something that has given Guiao all the reason in the world to look forwa“It’s really a privilege to have a big man who is not only solid defensively, but also shoots well from the three-point region. He’s also a fast big man, contrary to the traditional big men we have,” Guiao added.
But Guiao is not only speaking highly of Datu, but expressed satisfaction over the continuous improvement of Treadwell, who played his best game since taking over the spot of DaJuan Summers.
“He only struggled in his first game” Guiao said.
“He had to take over the spot of an import who plays differently from his style of game, but once he got himself settled, he’s been nothing but productive for us on both ends of the floor.”
In their game against the Hotshots, Treadwell flirted with a triple-double, finishing with 30 points, 16 rebounds and nine assists.
“That’s the kind of game we expect from him and he has been showing his true worth now.”
Riding on the crest of a three-game winning run, the Elasto Painters improved their record to 3-5 and can bolster their playoff chances more with another victory against Terrafirma on 23 December at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
